Combination quill chute and picker stick guide



March 12, 1957 H. w. CARROLL ,7

COMBINATION QUILL CHUTE AND PICKER STICK GUIDE Filed Nov. 1. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 Jlob q- 4 is 92 80 848 51 54 INVENTOR How/x20 W. CARROLL.

ATTORNEYS March 12, 195? H WCARRO L 2,784,745

- COMBINATION QUILL CHUTE AND PICKER STICK GUIDE Filed Nov. 1. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HOWARD W. CARROLL INVENT OR.

iafm+m ATTORNEYS United States Patent COMBINATION QUILL CHUTE AND PICKER STICK GUIDE Howard W. Carroll, Rock Hill, S. C.

Application November 1, 1954, SerialNo..465,852

Claims. (Cl. 139-255) This invention relates to automatic filling-replenishing looms and, more especially, to an improved pickenst ck guide for looms and it is the primary object of this invention to provide an inclined chute substantially in the form-of a rectangular tube on the picker stick guide for directing expelled quills or bobbins from the shuttle box and loom lay into the usual receptable or can in the course of each transfer operation.

The lays of many looms currently in use are provided with a picker stick guide, at the magazine or battery side of the loom, which is in the form of a relatively thin elongated bar, usually of cast iron, extending longitudinally beneath the shuttle box at that end of the lay. The bar has an inclined chute thereon which is in the form of a broad flat plate portion and which, in some instances, has flanges on opposite sides thereof.

In the course of bobbin or quill transfer operations, the chute is suppose to deflect each successive expelled bobbin into the can or receptacle disposed adjacent the front end of the loom. However, such bobbin chutes have proved unsatisfactory because, quite frequently, the expelled quills bounce against the chute and rebound back into the shuttle or picker stick slot and this, in some instances, would result in the picker stick subsequently crushing the quills'and damaging other parts of the transfer mechanism. Also, the usual type of bobbin or quill chute has quite often deflected the quills outwardly with such force that they would be thrown clear of the can or receptacle and would subsequently lie upon floor of the weaving room thereby creating a hazard to the operator of the loom and, in many instances, the quills would be deflected by the type of chute heretofore employed to Where they would break many of the yarn ends extending from each of the quills in the magazine to the usual magazine thread holder or anchoring means.

It is another object of this invention to provide a picker stick guide capable of being cast from iron or aluminum and having a chute thereon provided with a bottom forwardly and downwardly inclined wall, spaced inner and outer side walls or flanges and a forwardly and downwardly inclined top closure wall and wherein the top closure wall has an opening therein to accommodate the usual lay hunter which engagesthe conventional dog to elfect a quill transfer operation upon such transfer operation being called for.

It is anotherobject of this invention to provide a com bination picker stick guide and quill chute of the character last described with an' upwardly and rearwardly inclined relatively narrow flat portion at the inner end thereof which forms an extension to the corresponding portion of the rear lower wall of the chute and has a bendable bobbin head striker plate or quillhead striker plateremovably secured thereto, extending upwardly and rearwardlytherefrom; and which is adapted to lie against the beveled upper edge of the wooden portion of the: lay immediately beneath. the portionv of the conventional lay end member forming. the bottom: wall of; the corresponding,shuttle box. Thus, the-striker plate-isipositioned so- 2.4; fixed, to the hopper stand 13 "of the- 2,784,745 Patented Mar. 12, 1957 the rings on the head of each successively expelled bobbin will strike the striker plate in the course of being expelled rather than striking the cast material, such as iron or aluminum, from which the picker stick guide is con structed and thereby insuring relatively long useful life of the improved picker stick guide, since the striker plate may be made from steel and will not become damaged or worn as quickly as the cast material and may also be easily replaced in the event that it does become worn, without the necessity of replacing the entire improved combination picker stick guide and quill chute.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a fragmentary top plan view of therighthand front corner of a loom, adjacent the magazine side of the loom, wherein the magazine is broken away and shown partially in section, for purposes of clarity;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, partially in section taken substantially along the line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the improved combination quill chute and picker stick guide removed from the lay of the loom;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view similar to the righthand central portion of Figure l, but with? a substantial portion of the shuttle box broken away to clarify the construction of the improved combination quill. chute and picker stick guide and showing, in particular, the relationship between the striker plate and the head of a quill disposed in the boxed shuttle;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end. elevation showing the improved combination quill chute and picker stick guide and being taken looking substantially along 5-5 in Figure 1, but showing a shuttle in the shuttle box;

Figure 6 is anenlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along 6-6 in Figure 2- and showing, in particular, the manner in which the iimer side wall and'the front upper or top wall of the improved quill chute is cutaway to accommodate the lay bunter.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, it will be noted that only the right-handlfront.corner of the loom frame is illustrated, since the present invention is concerned only with the improved combination quill chute and picker stick guide audits mode of co-operation with the quill transfer mechanism. The loom frame is broadly designated at 10 and includes a side frame member 11 which, at its front end, supports one end of a breast beam 12 on the corresponding end of which a-conventional magazine or battery hopper stand" 13 is suitably secured.

The magazine or battery is broadly designated at 14 and also comprises spaced inner and outer bobbin disks, only the inner bobbin disk being. shown and. indicated at 15. The inner bobbin disk 15 is rotated by conventional means, to be later described, relative to the hopper stand 13 and has a plurality of circular spaced recessesf 16 therein in each of which the head 17'ofa bobbin or quill 20 may be positioned, each bobbin 20 also including. an elongated stem 21 about which yarn is wound prior to positioning the bobbin in the magazine. The head 17 ofeach bobbin 20 has the usualmetallic rings 22' thereon (Figure 4).

The heads 17 of the bobbins 20 are retainedwithih the recesses 16 by an arcuate flange 22 cm the magazine stand, which flange extends across the recesses 16 for holding the heads 17 therein,- the lower portion of, said flange 22 being cut away to provide an opening orthr'oat through which the bobbins or quills are 'deliveredfr-om the magazine during transfer operations. A quill guide magazine 14 directs each successive bobbin or quill downwardly into a shuttle positioned in a shuttle box broadly designated at 26.

- The magazine 14' also includes a conventional quill transfer mechanism comprising a transferrer or hammer -pivoted on' a shaft 31 carried by the hopper stand 13 and normally biased upwardly by a torsion spring 32. The hammer 30 is moved downwardly in a quill transfer operation in the usual manner through the co-action of a conventional lay hunter 33 with a latch finger 34 pivotally connected, as at 35, to the lower end of a conventional transfer arm 36 integral with or suitably secured to the transferrer or hammer 30.

In so doing, the free lower portion of the tansferrer or hammer 30 engages the lowermost bobbin in the magazine 14 and forces the same downwardly into the shuttle 25, thereby expelling the spent or empty quill from the shuttle 25. The hammer 30 carries the usual bow 37 which engages a ratchet wheel 40 fixed to or integral with the inner bobbin disk 15 with each upward movement of the hammer 30 for advancing the disk 15 one step, to bring the next bobbin or quill 20 into position for delivery. The magazine 14 also has a conventional pivoted bobbin support orquill support 41 thereon for supporting each successive bobbin as it moves off the flange 22 and whose left-hand portion in Figure 5 is moved downwardly to permit each successive bobbin or quill to pass into the shuttle 25 in the course of each transfer operation, in the usual manner.

The loom is also provided with a conventional lay 42, which is usually made from wood, and the lay 42 is carried by oscillatable swords 43, only one of which is shown in Figures 1 and 3. The lay also supports a con ventional reed 44 and a reed cap 45 which is also suitably secured to the swords 43. The sword 43, in this instance, has an outwardlyprojecting web portion 46 thereon which assists in supporting the improved combination picker stick guide and quill chute, as will be later described.

The outer end of the lay 42 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 is cut away at its forward portion to form a recess 47 therein which is defined by a long relatively narrow wooden portion 50 at the rear of the lay beneath the shuttle box 26 (Figures 1 and 6) whose front upper edge is beveled at 49. It will be noted that the lay bunter 33 is spaced forwardly of the vertical plane of the front surface of the lay 42 and projects inwardly towards the center of the loom and also'rearwardly and has a base portion 51 thereon which is suitably secured to the front surface of the lay 42 adjacent the cut-away 47. V

The shuttle box 26 comprises an elongated bottom plate 52, which is commonly known as a lay-end, and which is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 53 therein for expulsion of empty bobbins therethrough in the course of each quill transfer operation. This slot 53 is alsoprovided to permit movement of the usual picker stick 54 longitudinally thereof, which picker stick 54 has a conventional picker 55 on the upper end thereof for engaging the shuttle 25. The medial portion of said picker stick 54 extends through an endless check strap 56 partially supported by a conventional bracket 57 suitably secured to the rear portion of the lay end or shuttle box bottom plate 52.

The shuttle box bottom plate 52 supports a box front 60 and box back 61 in the usual manner and it will be observed in Figures 2, 5 and 6 that the shuttle box bottom plate or lay-end 52 has a longitudinally extending relatively narrow flange 62 depending therefrom which curves rearwardly at its outer end and from whence a picker stick guide-supporting web portion 63 depends.

H 71 WhiCl1 is relatively narrow vertically as compared to the horizontal length thereof and whose outer end has an off-set boss portion 73 thereon provided with an adjustment slot 74 therein for penetration by a bolt 75 for securing the corresponding or outer end of the picker stick guide to the depending web portion 63 on the outer end of the lay-end or shuttle box bottom plate 52.

Spaced inwardly from the off-set boss portion 73 on the arm 71 is a pair of spaced depending picker stick checkstrap-supporting legs 76, 77 each of which has forwardly projecting foot 80 on the lower end thereof (Figures 2 and 5). Projecting downwardly and forwardly from the front surface of boss portion 73, at its juncture with the bar 71, is a depending friction support arm 81, the lower edge of which terminates above the level of the feet 80 on the legs 76, 77 and whose rear edge terminate-s forwardly of the vertical plane on the front surface of the boss portion 73.

The friction support arm 81 has a horizontal adjustment slot 82 therein for reception of a bolt 83 which serves to secure a conventional check strap friction element 84 to the inward face of the friction support arm 81. It will be observed in Figures 2, 4 and 6 that the check strap friction element 84 projects inwardly from the support 81 and then rearwardly, terminating at a point substantially midway between the legs 76, 77 and bearing against the front surface of the check strap to maintain friction therein or, in other words, to retard movement thereof upon engagement thereof by the picker stick.

Projecting inwardly from the rear surface of the bar 71, adjacent its inner end, is a rearwardly projecting inner boss 88 having a threaded cavity 89 therein, It will be observed in Figures 5 and 6 that the inner boss 88 is disposed below the level of the narrow extending portion 50 of the lay 42 and extends rearwardly across the vertical plane of the slot 53 in the lay-end or shuttle box bottom plate 52. The rear surface of boss 88 bears against the lower portion of the web portion 46 of the corresponding sword 43 and is secured thereto by means of a screw 99 threadably embedded in the threaded cavity 89.

The lower inner portion of the bar 71 is cut away and provided with a downwardly and forwardly inclined plate portion 91 for supporting the improved *bobbin or quill chute broadly designated at 92. Of course, the bobbin chute 92 may be formed integral with the downwardly and forwardly inclined plate portion 91 of the bar 71, if desired. Disposed outwardly of the inner boss 88 is a pair of vertical spaced fingers or prongs 93, 94. It will be noted that the upper finger or prong 93 projects rearwardly from the inner portion of the bar 71 adjacent the inner boss 88 and the lower prong or finger 94 projects inwardly from the lower front edge of the inclined bottom plate portion 91.

The bar 71 is also provided with a threaded cavity 95 therein for reception of a screw 96 for securing a resilient picker stick bunter or cushion 97 (Figure 6) between the prongs or fingers 93, 94. It will be noted that the inner surface of the hunter 97 then bears against the outer surface of the inner boss 88. The bunter 97 is of conventional construction and may be made from leather, rubber, or any other desired resilient material.

Projecting upwardly and rearwardly from the inner end of the bar 71, and with its upper surface in substantial alinement with the upper surface of the plate portion 91, is a striker supporting portion 100 which extends into the plane of movement of the picker stick 54, but which is relatively short so the picker stick 54 will not engage the same with each inward or active stroke thereof. The striker support 100 is formed integral with the bar 71 and it will be observed in Figures 5 and 6 that its upward rear and terminates in spaced relation to the front surface of the portion 50 of the lay 42.

Suitably removably secured to the lower rear surface the inclined striker support 100, as by screws 101, is a quill head striker plate 102 which is preferably made from steel or other tough bendable material and which is bent intermediate its" endspartially around the upper rear end of the striker support 100 so that the portion of its upper surface extending beyond the rear upper end of the striker support 100 is disposed substantially flush with the upper surface er the striker support 100. The quill head striker 102 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the striker support 100 and rests against the beveled upper front edge 49 of the narrow woode'n portion 50 of the lay 42. The striker plate 102 is preferably made from a bendable material, such as a relatively thin sheet of steel, in order that the portion thereof extending beyond the striker supperrmo may be bent at any desired angle to fit against the bevel 49 since the bevel 49 may vary on different looms.

It will be noted that the striker 102 extends beneath theslot 53 in the shuttle box bottom plate 52, as shown in Figure 4, below the vertical plane at which the head 17 of each successive bobbin or quill 20 is positioned as the shuttle is fully boxed in the shuttle box 26. Thus, in the course of a transfer operation, the empty bobbin is forced downwardly through the shuttle and the rings 22 on the head 17 thereof strike against the upper forward surface of the striker palte 102 and then fall or bounce into the chute 92 thereby insuring that the softer metal from which the bar 71 and its integral parts are cast, and particularly the striker supporting portion 100, will not become worn, which would ultimately require replace ment of the entire combination picker stick guide and quill chute 70. However, in the event that the striker 102 does become worn, it is merely necessary to replace the same with another relatively short and narrow strip of sheet metal, thereby greatly extending the useful life of the improved combination picker stick guide and quill chute. i

As heretofore stated, the quill chute 92 may be cast integral with the bar 71 and its plate portidn91. However, in order to simplify the making of the required patterns and molds and the withdrawing of the casting from the sand mold in which the casting is poured and, also, in order to minimize the weight of the entire assembly, the quill chute 92 is preferably made from sheet metal, as shown. In order to further assist in supporting the sheet metal chute 92 it will be noted that the bar 71 has a forwardly projecting arm 105 integral therewith whose upper rear and front corners are beveled to accommodate the sheet metal chute 92.

The chute 92 comprises a bottom rear wall 106, inner :and outer side walls 107, 108 and an upper forward wall '01 top Wall 109 so the chute 92 is in substantially the :shape of a rectangular tube. The bottom wall 106 of the chute 92 is suitably secured to the upper forward surface of the plate portion 91 on the bar 71, as by rivets 111, and the outer side wall 108 is suitably secured to the inner surface of the arm 105, as by rivets 112. Other fastening means, such as screws, bolts, welding or soldering may be used for securing the chute together and to plate portion 91. However, welding or soldering is relatively expensive and screws or bolts may loosen because of vibration of the device with oscillation of the lay 42. In this instance, the inner and outer side walls 107, 108 are formed integral with the bottom rear wall 106 of the chute 92 and the cover or upper forward wall 109 has downwardly projecting flanges 113 on opposite end'sthere of which are suitably secured to the outer surfaces of the corresponding inner and outer side walls 107, 108, as by rivets 114. The inner wall 107 also preferably extends at an angle from its upper rear edge toward the outer Wall so the lower end of the chute 92 is of less width than its upper rear end.

It will be noted that the mouth of the chute 92 is disposed closely adjacent the lower surface of the shuttle box bottom plate 52 in order to insure that each successive expelled bobbin or quill 20 is deflected from the striker 102 directly into the chute 92 and the lower open or discharge end of the chute 92 is disposed ,on such a level that it actually enters the upper end of the receptacle or cam R for receiving and storing the expelled bob.- bins or quills, thereby insuring that mine .of the expelled quills will be thrown out of the receptacle or can R and thereby overcoming one of the most prevaleht defects in prior devices heretofore employed for this purpose.

It will be noted that the upper rearward edges of the side walls 107, 108 each extend at an angle substantially perpendicular to the rear lower wall 106 and the upper rearward edge of the outer side wall 108 has an elongated resilient cap adhesively or otherwise secured thereto to thereby prevent injury to the corresponding portions of the stems 2,1 of the quills 20 as they are expelled into the chute 92 and also insuring that the heads 17 of the expelled quills or bobbins 20 will be thrown downwardly into the chute in advance of the stems 21 thereof.

Now, it will be noted, in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6, that the lay bunter 33 overlies the forward upper and inner corner of the bobbin chute 92 and, since the upper forward wall of the chute 92 extends forwardly past the lay bunter 33 and moves past the lower portion of the latch fifnger 34 (Figure 5) with each forward stroke of the lay 42, the upper inner corner of the upper forward or top wall 109 has a slot or notch 116 therein and the uppermost corner of the inner side wall 107 is cut away and rounded, as at 117, to thereby provide clearance for the cofnventional lay bu nter 33 and the latch finger 34.

It is thus seen that I have provided an improved cornbination picker stick guide and quill ch ute for automatic looms, wherein the quill chute is in the form of a downwardly and forwardly inclined rectangular tube to thereby insure that each successive expelled quill or bobbin is directed into the storage receptacle R and wherein there is also provided a removable striker 102 for receiving the shock of the head of each successively expelled bobbin or quill so the cast material from which the improved picker stick guide is made will not become worn prematurely and so that, in the event of the striker becoming worn, it may easily be replaced. It is also seen that Ihave provided the quill chute with an opening therein for accommodating the lay hunter and the latch finger of the transfer mechanism. I have also provided the outer side wall 108 of chute 92 with the shock absorbing cushion member 115 for engagement of the stem of each successive bobbin without injuring the stems and which insures that the head of each successive bobbin is first projected into the chute 92 so the bobbins cannot become lodged in the chute or in any other parts of the corresponding end of the lay of the loom or in any of the parts of the transfer mechanism.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim: r

1. In a loom having an oscillatable lay, an automatic quill transfer mechanism and a shuttle box having a bottom plate provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein through which quills are expelled by the quill transfer mechanism; the combination of a picker stick guide comprising an elongated substantially horizontal bar fixed to the lay and spaced below said shuttle box bottom plate forwardly of the plane of said slot, and a quill chute in the form of a substantially rectangular tube disposed beneath said shuttle box bottom plate and extending downwardly and forwardly at an angle and being carried by said bar for guiding expelled quills away from the shuttle box.

2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein the inner portion of said bar nearest the center of the loom has an upwardly inclined relatively short striker support portion thereon, and a relatively thin sheet metal striker remov- 7 ably secured to said striker support and extending beneath the vertical plane of the head of each quill as it is positionedin the shuttle box whereby the head of each successive expelled quill will strike against said striker plate and be deflected into said chute.

3. A structure according to claim 1 wherein the outer wall of the chute furthest from the center of the loom is provided with a resilient cushion on the upper rear edge thereof, adjacentthe shuttle box, for engagement by the stern of each successively expelled quill.

4. In a loom having an oscillatable lay, a shuttle box having a bottom plate provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein, a quill transfer mechanism for expelling quills through said slot and having a latch finger depending therefrom, and a bunter fixed to said lay for engaging said finger to operate said transfer mechanism; the combination of a picker stick guide comprising an elongated substantially horizontally disposed bar made from a cast material and fixed to said lay below said bottom plate and forwardly of said slot, a forwardly and downwardly inclined tubular quill chute on said bar and having its open upper rear end disposed closely beneath said bottom plate and immediately forwardly of the vertical plane of said slot, said chute comprising a rear lower inclined wall fixed to said bar, spaced in inner and outer side walls connected to said bottom wall, a front top inclined wall connected to and spanning the distance between said inner and outer walls, and said front top wall having an opening therein alined with, and into which may extend a portion of, said latch finger with each beatup stroke of said lay.

5. A structure according" to claim 4 wherein the inner portion of said bar nearest the loom has an upwardly inclined relatively short striker support portion thereon, and a relatively thin sheet metal striker removably secured to said striker support and extending beneath and in the vertical plane of the head of each quill as it is positioned in the shuttle box whereby the head of each successive expelled quill will strike against said striker plate and be deflected into said chute.

' 6, In a loom having an oscillatable lay, a shuttle box having a bottom plate provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein, a quill transfer mechanism for expelling quills through said slot and having a latch finger depending therefrom, and a bunter fixed to said lay for engaging said finger to operate said transfer mechanism; thecombination of a picker stick guide comprising an elongated substantially horizontally disposed bar fixed to said lay below said plate and forwardly of said slot, a

forwardly and downwardly inclined tubular quill chute carried by said bar and having its open upper rear end disposed closely beneath said bottom plate and immediately forwardly of the vertical plane of said slot, said chute comprising a rear lower inclined wall fixed to said bar, spaced in inner and outer side walls connected to said bottom wall, a front top inclined wall connected to and spanning the distance between said inner and outer walls, and the upper inner corner of said chute having an opening therein alined with, and into which may extend a portion of, said latch finger with each beat-up stroke of said lay.

7. In a loom having an oscillatable lay, a shuttle box having a bottom plate provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein, a quill transfer mechanism for expelling quills through said slot and having a latch finger depending therefrom, a bunter fixed to said lay for engaging said finger to operate said transfer mechanism, and a picker stick check strap spaced below said shuttle box; the combination of a picker stick guide comprising an elongated substantially horizontally disposed bar made from a cast material and fixed to said by below and forwardly of said slot, a forwardly and downwardly inclined tubular quill chute carried by said bar and having its open upper rear end disposed closely beneath said bottom plate and immediately forwardly of the vertical plane of said slot, said. chute comprising a rear lower inclined wall fixed to said bar, spaced in inner and outer side walls connected to said bottom wall, a front top inclined wall connected to and spanning the distance between said inner and outer walls, said front top wall having an opening therein alined with and into which may extend a portion of said latch finger with each beat-up stroke of said lay, and said bar having a pair of longitudinally spaced check-strap-supporting legs integral therewith and depending therefrom.

8. A structure according to claim 7 wherein said bar also has a forwardly and downwardly projecting friction support arm integral therewith and being disposed in spaced relation to said chute for supporting a check strap friction element thereon.

9. In a loom having an oscillatable lay, an automatic quill transfer mechanism, a shuttle box having a bottom plate provided with a longitudinally extending slot therein through which quills are expelled by the quill transfer mechanism, a bunter carried by said lay, and said transfer mechanism including a latch finger adapted to be engaged by said bunter for effecting a quill transfer operation; the combination of a picker stick guide comprising an elongated substantially horizontal bar fixed to the lay and spaced below said shuttle box bottom plate, a quill chute in the form of a substantially rectangular tube disposed beneath the said shuttle box bottom plate and extending downwardly and forwardly at an angle and being carried by said bar for guiding expelled quills away from the shuttle box, and the upper forward wall of said chute having an opening in its upper inner portion adjacent the center of the loom for accommodating the latch finger and the hunter.

10. In a loom having a lay, a shuttle box, a transfer mechanism for ejecting spent quills from the shuttle box and having a latch finger thereon, and a bunter fixed to said lay for engaging said finger to operate said mecha: nism; the combination of a picker stick guide comprising a bar fixed to a forward portion of said lay below said shuttle box, a forwardly and downwardly inclined tubular quill chute carried by said bar and having its open upper rear end disposed closely beneath said shuttle box for guiding ejected quills therefrom, and said chute having an opening formed in its upper portion alined with, and into which may extend a portion of, said latch finger with each beat-up stroke of the lay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

